Modernist Masters, Contemporary Icons

Highlights from the Old Jail Art Center

Exhibition Website

Feb 3 2017 - Apr 23 2017

An intimate collection of American masterworks from the Old Jail Art Center (OJAC) in Albany, TX, Modernist Masters, Contemporary Icons includes works by American greats like Grant Wood, Alexander Calder, and Thomas Hart Benton will be presented for the first time at The Rockwell. Other artists, familiar to The Rockwell’s collection like Fritz Scholder, John Marin and Andy Warhol, are also included – providing a new dialogue with The Rockwell’s own modernist watercolors, works on paper, and sculpture. 

Comprised of 33 modernist works of landscape, portraiture, nudes, modern life stills and wildlife, this exhibition celebrates the work of the most honored American art masters of our time.

The modern visions of the American landscape with subjects ranging from depictions of the desert southwest to the Maine coast are presented in various manners by a range of artists. Yet the dynamic application and handling of media often supersedes the modern artist’s need for a convincing pictorial space. Many landscapes verge on becoming non-objective abstractions, emphasizing the emotive and dynamic powers of brushstroke, color, line, and other formal qualities. The accurate depiction of a scene is secondary—simply serving as a means to an end in order to enforce the concept of art for art’s sake.

The representation of the human figure varies within the collection. The traditional approach of accurately recording the human body stands in stark contrast to more expressive likenesses. An elegant drawing of a human nude reflects the controlled skills of an artist while expressive gestures elicit more emotive responses from the viewer. Other times, simple to enigmatic narratives that provoke interpretation are created by the placement of the human figure in a landscape, engagement with other figures, or the utilization of simple props.

The landscape and human figure are prevalent subjects in the OJAC’s modern and contemporary painting, drawing, print, and sculpture collections as well as those selected for inclusion in this exhibition that span 100 years of artistic creation.

Click on link above for information about the Old Jail Art Center, Albany TX 

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website

  • American
  • John Marin
  • Grant Wood
  • Andy Warhol
  • Thomas Hart Benton
  • Alexander Calder
  • Fritz Scholder
  • Charles Demuth
  • Robert Rauschenberg
  • Arthur Dove
  • and others

Exhibition Venues & Dates